Why Node JS Is So Popular till Now? Here Are the Pros and Cons of Node JS You Need to Know
Posted by. Disrupt Tech. October 7, 2021
More than 20 million websites are using Node JS globally. Building incredible web apps not the only specialty of Node JS. Apart from web apps, Node JS is used to build mobile and desktop apps as well. It is the most popular Runtime Environment in the US. There’s a reason why Amazon, Netflix, eBay, Reddit, LinkedIn, Tumblr, PayPal – all use Node JS.
So, what makes it so popular?
Before diving into it, let’s talk about what Node JS really is. Perhaps, you already know about it. In case you don’t, I will try to explain it to you in the simplest way possible.
Node JS is not a programming language!
JavaScript is the programming language here. Node JS simply uses it to convert JavaScript into a machine-readable language. Previously it needed a JavaScript engine to run. There are many engines out there. But the most popular is Chrome’s V8 engine. It directly converts the code into machine code. It’s also way faster than the alternatives.
Do you know JavaScript was only limited to internet browsers before Node JS? It changed everything. Now you can run JavaScript on machines. You can build cross-platform applications like web apps, mobile apps, and server apps.
Besides, Node JS provides you with so many modules. You can develop them yourself, or you can download them from the library. Using Node JS, you can build the front-end and back-end servers quite easily. You only need a framework.
So, to build primary apps, you will need to learn JavaScript, the framework, and some modules. It is that easy. That is why this is one of the most popular runtime environments.
By now, if Node JS has fascinated you, great! But you know, every great thing has its drawbacks. Suppose you want to build a web app for your company or client using Node JS. Then, you need to know the pros and cons of Node JS first to be on the safe side.
This article will explore all the pros and cons of Node JS in detail. So let’s jump in!
The Pros of Node JS
Building Superfast and Highly Scalable Services
One of the benefits of Node JS is that it is lightweight. Most developers find it so easy to use. Scaling apps with Node JS is easy as well. You can scale your apps both vertically and horizontally.
Horizontal scaling means you copy your apps and allow them to handle a large number of incoming connections. Node JS can be horizontally scaled on multiple machines or on a single multi-core system.
Vertical scaling is more simple. You add power and memory to the system. It is an efficient way to scale up in Node JS because the default Node JS won’t use more than 1.76 GB of the machine.
Let’s look at the example of PayPal. They built one of their Java Spring-based apps using Node JS. And, the result was very positive:
- They made the app twice as fast with fewer people.
- There were 33% fewer lines of coding.
- There were 40% fewer files than regular ones.
- They doubled the number of requests served per second.
- Average response time reduced by 35%.
We can see why Node JS is so popular to build highly scalable services.
Most Dedicated Community
Node JS has the most active community, and many developers are working every day to make the platform even better. These developers and programmers can help you out when you are stuck.
Moreover, you can get free modules from the community servers. There are already tons of ready-made solutions out there for you. Also, you can find usable codes to develop your app from GitHub.
Easy to Learn and Use
Node JS is JavaScript-based, and to many, JavaScript is the easiest programming language to learn. Moreover, it supports JSON seamlessly. Thus, it is easy to build RESTful APIs for the NoSQL databases.
Using Node JS:
Applications have the least start-up time now.
Servers are fast, simple, and straightforward. Yet very powerful and flexible.
Loading time reduces by 50-60%.
Development cost decreases by almost 58%
The Cons of Node JS
CPU Bottleneck
Node JS works in an Asynchronous model. Now, what is that?
The whole point of Node JS being faster and scalable is because it works on a single thread method. It uses the workers’ block method.
To make things easy, think about a waiter in a restaurant. First, he goes to client A to take the order and pass the order to the kitchen. Then goes to client B to take the order. When food is ready, he serves the food to client A and then returns to take orders.
This is how asynchronous models work. The waiter is the thread here, and the kitchen is an example of a workers’ block.
It’s important to remember that when the requests are simple, Node JS works fast. But when the CPU has a lot to do for complex tasks, things may get slower, even clogged.
Inconvenient Tools in the Open Library
The core of Node JS is strong, no doubt about that. But a few third-party tools come with the installation program. These are often poor quality and sometimes not enlisted in the NPM registry.
Another issue is the open ecosystem library. While it is good to have a free and open library, there are drawbacks too. Because there are too many tools in the open library. And, most of these tools are unchecked before enlisting. Hence, they lack quality and do a poor job in coding.
The whole NPM structure makes it harder to find a reliable installation package. That’s why you might need help from experienced developers.
Few Experienced Developers
There are lots of JavaScript developers out there in the market with years of experience. But when it comes to experienced Node JS developers, you may find it challenging to connect with them.
On average, a typical Node JS developer has two years of experience in working with Node JS. That is why there is a higher demand for Node JS developers compared to PHP developers.
So if you are thinking of developing a Node JS app, make sure you are going to the right person who has the expertise and experience in Node JS to help you out.
Conclusion
Node JS has a broad acceptance for reasons. Companies worldwide have already been using it successfully for long now. Because it seemed the perfect fit for them. Node JS is easy to use. It is fast to scale. And more importantly, its flexibility helps you to make great apps – the way you want.
Now that you know the pros and cons, it should be easier for you to decide whether Node JS is the one you are looking for.